Carbon Xerogel-supported Iron as a Catalyst in Combustion Synthesis of Carbon Fibrous Nanostructures

The catalytically assisted self-propagating high-temperature synthesis of carbon fibrous nanostructures, where the iron-doped colloidal carbon xerogel is proposed as a catalyst system, was examined. The carbon xerogel was prepared through carbonization of an iron doped organic xerogel at temperatures ranging from 600 to 1050 C. The reaction between calcium carbide and hexachloroethane in the presence of sodium azide is exothermic enough to proceed at a high temperature, self-sustaining regime. The combustion reactions of those mixtures enriched with iron-doped carbon xerogels were conducted in a stainless steel reactor-calorimetric bomb under an initial pressure of 1 MPa of argon. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of the combustion products revealed low yield of various type of carbon fibers (presumably nanotubes), which grew via the tip-growth mechanism. The fibrous nanostructures were found in the vicinity of the spot of ignition, while in the outer and cooler area of the reactor, dusty products with soot-like morphology dominated. No significant correlation between the pyrolysis temperature of the carbon xerogel and the morphology of the obtained carbon fibrous nanostructures was observed.